KARACHI: The Sindh Government has decided to launch a $1.269 billion Karachi Light Rail, Brown Line project on war footings so that it could be completed by the beginning of 2018.
For the purpose, a committee has been constituted to remove all the bottlenecks so that the proposed project could be gifted to Karachiites.
This decision was taken here on Monday at a meeting chaired by Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah and attended among others by the representatives of Sindh Government and the Chinese Company.
Giving presentation the Chinese team said that the project would start from Singer Round- about via Korangi, Sharea Faisal, and Rashid Minhas Road. It would have a terminal station at Anda Mor Road at the North side of Nagan Chowrangi over pass.
The total length of the Brown Line project is 18.38 kilometres, of which 20.63 percent or 3.7 kilometres would be under ground while 12.92 kilometres or 70.30 percent would be elevated. Its ground transitional would 1.67 kilometres. Apart from it, it would have 13 stations, of them three would be underground and 10 elevated with one rolling stock base and operational control centres. The unidirectional peak passenger volume can reach to 20,000 to 70, 0000 persons per trip.
This project would generate Rs 3 billion and if the advertisement and stalls such as tea shop are to be set up at each station additional revenue of Rs 3.5 billion would be collected annually.
They told the meeting that 60 percent of the total cost would be a 13- year Chinese loan while Sindh government would have to pay 40 percent of the total cost. It means there would a $769.03 million Chinese loan and Sindh government would have to pay $500 million.
The Chinese team of Sinosure Company said that their 11 experts have made four trips to Karachi and each trip was of 20 days. During their visit they conducted soil investigation, site survey, traffic information study and coordinated with different Sindh government departments.
They told the Chief Minister that they have constituted a 50-member experts team, of them 20 are from design sector and 30 experts from construction sector. They would have a task to prepare project proposal, conduct feasibility study, and prepare concept and pre-preliminary design of civil and electrical works, signaling and preparation of documents for Chinese loan within two months.
The Chief Minister directed Minister for Finance Syed Murad Ali Shah to constitute a 3-member team with ACS (Dev) Mohammad Wasim ((Chairman), Secretary Finance Sohail Rajput and Secretary Transport Taha Farooqi as its members to review all technical aspects of the project. “I wants to start the project on October 1, 2015”, he added.
The Finance Minister informed the meeting that the most important issue was to discuss and approve the terms and conditions of the Chinese loan.
On this the Chief Minister directed the Secretary Finance to hold a meeting with the Chinese on May 12 and then get approval from Finance Minister and he would accord final approval once all the issues are discussed and settled.
